


A family of our own making

by Fezinating



Category: The Mandalorian (TV)
Genre: Chapter 4 Spoilers, Eventual Romance, F/M, Reader-Insert, Slow Burn, reader is secretly a badass
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-11-30
Updated: 2019-12-30
Packaged: 2021-02-26 02:42:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 6,443
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21616273
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Fezinating/pseuds/Fezinating
Summary: Reader finds herself unexpectedly fighting side by side with the Mandalorian, and he has no choice but to trust her in the moment. Afterwards, baby Yoda takes a liking to Reader, and she decides to stick around for a while. Contains spoilers for chapter 4. Reader will eventually fall in love with our Mandalorian, but for now, she just really wants to cuddle baby Yoda. Don't we all?
Relationships: The Mandalorian (The Mandalorian TV)/Reader, The Mandalorian (The Mandalorian TV)/You
Comments: 20
Kudos: 326





	1. Unexpected allies

**Author's Note:**

> Hi all! It has been a while since I've written anything, let alone a fanfic, so I might be a bit dusty. Feel free to point out any mistakes you might notice. Happy reading!

**Chapter 1 – unexpected allies**

The gentle chirping of the forest wildlife filled your ears as you crouched down on the soft mossy ground of the forest and studied the ferns in front of you, hoping it would tell you something about potential prey. Your stomach growled softly, giving you a reminder of just how long ago it had been since you’d had a proper meal. Unfortunately, the odds were not in your favour, which meant it didn’t look like there were any animals around.  
Just as you were about to get up to get moving, you heard the faint echoes of voices. Immediately you dropped down to your stomach and reached for your blaster, only then remembering you didn’t actually have it anymore.  


As the voices passed by, your eye caught something glistering through the trees. Armour? For as far as you knew, there were only farmers around these areas. Cursing yourself for your relentless curiosity, you decided to follow the envoy at a safe distance.  


It didn’t take long for you to reach a small village. Again, you pressed your stomach tightly against the ground. The huts, equipment and pools suggested this was just another farmers village, but then why would they need a person with armour? You pushed the plants out of your way to get a better look. The people and children gathered around the new arrivals. Wait. A Mandalorian? Your eyes must be playing tricks on you. But no, it seemed you were right. It was a Mandalorian, and a very shiny one at that, too. Why would a warrior like that come to a village like this? It looked like his companion was a fighter of the same calibre. That’s when you noticed something that was drawing the children’s attention even more. A baby? A toddler? You couldn’t tell exactly, but it was certainly unusual.  


Whatever it was, it wasn’t worth getting killed over. For whatever reason the Mandalorian was here, trouble was sure to follow. And without all your gear and equipment, trouble was the last thing you needed. No matter how intriguing it was, you couldn’t stick around.  


\---  


It was about a week later that you stumbled upon another encampment. This one, however, had an aura of trouble around it. Trouble wasn’t the only thing it had, though. The smell of food and drink hung heavily in the air, making your stomach growl again. The last couple of days hadn’t exactly been filled with dinner opportunities, so the promise of food weighed heavier than the threat of danger. Carefully you inched closer and closer to the tents. Hidden by the shadow of the night, you were practically invisible. All you could hear were the voices of the occupants, until a deafening explosion ripped through the night.  


‘What the –’ you mumbled, your ears ringing. You hid behind a tree, your heart racing in your chest and the adrenalin racing through your veins. This was a familiar feeling, and part of you welcomed it back. You had forgotten your hunger, and all your senses focussed on the scene in front of you. Two figures raced past you, running away from the encampment. Why were they running away from – oh. They were running from the massive AT-ST that had emerged far too close for comfort.  


Before you could really process what was happening, your legs were already carrying you through the forest, after the two figures you’d seen before. To your mild surprise, you noticed they were the Mandalorian and his companion. It didn’t take you long to catch up to them.  


‘Who the hell are you?’ the woman yelled at you.  


‘Does it matter!?’ you yelled back. All that mattered now was getting away from that AT-ST as fast as you could. They seemed to share your sentiment, and there were no further questions. The village you’d seen before came into view.  


When you reached the barricades, you followed the two fighters into the village. These people looked like they needed some help, and even though you didn’t look like it at the moment, you knew your way around situations like these.  


‘Can you shoot?’ The Mandalorian turned to you and held out a blaster.  


You met his gaze. ‘Yes.’  


He handed you the weapon. You didn’t have a lot of time to think about your current situation, because the second you took the blaster, the enemy came flooding out of the forest. Ignoring the AT-ST for the moment, you aimed your fire at the foot soldiers charging at you.  


\---  


The enemy had been defeated. As the dust settled over the village, the surprised and delighted villagers embraced each other. The children came out of hiding, celebrating with their peers and parents. You meanwhile, had found yourself sitting with your back against the wall of one of the huts, recovering from the battle. It was taking a while for your brain to catch up, but you were glad you had been of help.  


You felt somebody’s gaze settle on you, and you looked up to find the Mandalorian watching you. With a tired groan, you rose to your feet. The two of you regarded each other a while, unsure what to say.  


‘You probably want this back,’ you said, realising you still had the man’s weapon. You handed it back to him, and he took it without saying a word. ‘I’m [y/n], by the way.’  


‘[y/n], thank you for your help,’ the Mandalorian said, giving you a nod.  


‘Yes, well, that was as unexpected for me as it was for you,’ you replied with a chuckle, aware of the awkwardness of the situation.  


A soft cooing distracted you from your unmoving conversation. You looked down to see the child you’d seen arrive with the Mandalorian.  


‘That your kid?’ you asked the man.  


He took a couple of seconds to think about his answer. ‘I suppose so.’  


You crouched down and smiled. The creature was so adorable, you could understand why the Mandalorian liked having it around. You waved, and the child waved back with his tiny hand.  


‘Can I pick him up?’ you asked, looking up at the Mandalorian’s expressionless helmet.  


Another couple of seconds silence. ‘Sure.’  


You scooped the child up and stood back up straight. The child seemed comfortable in your arms, nuzzling into your body. Another smile spread across your face. It had been a long time since something had provoked this reaction from you. The Mandalorian watched as you held the child, his silence revealing nothing of his thoughts.  


One of the villagers approached. She had a small but kind smile on her lips, relief obvious in her eyes. The battle must have been hard on these people, you suddenly realised. They weren’t used to any of this. You put down the child and turned your gaze to her, curious to know what she wanted to tell you.  


‘Thank you so much for your help,’ she said to you. ‘I’m not sure where you came from, but please, join us in our celebrations tonight.’  


The promise of food, drink and company sounded too good to resist. It had been so long since anybody had been anything but hostile to you, and your heart ached at this realisation. You nodded, accepting the invitation. Then you turned your gaze from the woman to the Mandalorian, as if to say you were grateful for him trusting you.  


‘I guess I could stick around a while…’ you replied.


	2. A Magnet for Trouble

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Reader enjoys her time at the village, spending time with Mando and the Child. But then trouble rears its ugly head.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi all! Sorry this took so long, life kinda ate me up for a while, and I ran out of steam about halfway through writing the chapter. But! This chapter is all about Reader getting to know Mando and bonding and setting the story up for the rest of the chapters. 
> 
> Happy reading!

**Chapter two – a magnet for trouble**

That night you didn’t sleep much. The party in the village was exuberant, with plenty of food and a delicious locally brewed liquor to go around. You and Cara had a great time. She had turned out to be a happy drunk, so there was laughter in the air. The villagers were amazing hosts, and your cup was always filled to the brim no matter how much you drank. Somewhere at the back of your clouded mind you had noticed the Mandalorian sneaking off not long after the party had started, but the festivities proofed too distracting and your attention was quickly brought back to the party by Cara, who had started telling another one of her outrageous tales. The bonfire around which your newfound friends had gathered had been built by the men earlier that night and provided you with light and warmth all throughout the night and into the morning. 

\---  
The next morning you were awakened by the stifled giggles of children and the smell of fresh bread. Your head was pounding, and your body sore. The second you opened your eyes, the children that had been hovering over you dashed off. You blinked a couple of times, blinded by the bright light of the sun. Where had you ended up? With a groan, you hoisted yourself upright and noticed you had ended up on the ground next to the barriers that had been set up.

A mumbled swear left your lips as you got to your feet. You took a deep breath and looked around. Cara laid sprawled onto the ground, a cup still in her hand. She was snoring loudly. 

‘Morning.’ 

The sudden sound behind you made you jump. It was the Mandalorian. You were fairly certain he’d spoken just a little bit louder than necessary, and the amused tone in his voice had been hard to miss.

‘You’re up bright and early,’ he continued, now barely able to hide his amusement. He was holding a plate with some bread and a cup, which he held out for you to take.

You groaned and shot him a look, but gratefully took the plate and cup anyway. ‘Thanks.’

He gave you a nod and started to walk away. Suddenly you felt the need to follow him. He intrigued you and you suspected his quiet and strong demeanour wasn’t all there was to him. So you urged your body to get moving and hobbled after him. 

‘Wait!’ you called. He paused and turned his head to wait for you to catch up. Once you’d caught up you suddenly felt a bit silly. You didn’t think of anything to talk about, and he was looking at you expectantly, waiting for you to speak.

‘So…’ you started, stretching out the word so you had some more time to think about what you wanted to say next. ‘How are you feeling?’ 

He shrugged. ‘Fine, I suppose. You?’

‘Not gonna lie, I’ve been better,’ you replied with a chuckle. ‘You missed one hell of a party.’

‘I figured,’ he said. ‘Then again, I didn’t wake up more dead than alive today.’

‘Hey, I’m totally fine,’ you scoffed. You weren’t fine, let alone _totally_ fine, but you were too proud to admit you were in pain. It was just a headache, it would pass. You took a bite of your bread to prove your point and slowly chewed on it as you and the Mandalorian walked through the village in silence. Most people were still asleep, and only now you could really take in the damage of the previous night. The AT-ST still lay smouldering in the pool, the bodies of your fallen enemies sprawled across the field.

‘I can’t believe how lucky we were,’ you said quietly, the heaviness of the situation suddenly hitting you. This could have gone very wrong, yet it hadn’t. The stakes had been high, maybe even higher than any other fight you’d been in. The Mandalorian nodded at your comment. You sat down on the grass, your body suddenly feeling heavy and your stomach empty. This was as good a place as any to have your breakfast. To your surprise, the Mandalorian sat down next to you. The both of you were lost deep in thought while you ate your breakfast and looked out onto the trees. You weren’t sure how long you’d been there when you felt something tap your back. It had been very light, but you were sure that somebody had touched you, so you turned your head. It was the Mandalorian’s child. 

‘Hey there!’ you said gently, smiling at him. His big eyes looked up at you, and his tiny green hand reached towards your bread.

‘You want some of this, little guy?’ you asked. The child tilted his head and cooed quietly. You laughed, broke the bread in half and handed half to the kid. He took it and started nibbling on it. The child climbed up and settled himself in between you and the Mandalorian. A soft chuckle sounded from underneath the Mandalorian’s helmet as he watched the child eat. The three of you settled back into a comfortable silence, just enjoying the moment of peace and quiet after the tumultuous night you’d had.

\---  
It was about a week after you’d arrived in the village. Everything seemed to have gone back to normal, the people had gladly gone back to their regular business after the mess from the battle had been cleaned up. You had been loving your time at the village. It had been quiet and peaceful, very different from what your life had been for the last year. For a short, sweet week you had forgotten that you were being hunted, and life had seemed good again. The company of the Mandalorian, his child, Cara, and the villagers had made you feel happy and contented. 

Now, however, something in the air made you feel like your time at the village was running out. You were watching the Mandalorian from a distance, who, in turn, was watching the child. The child was playing with the other children, their laughs echoing through the village.

‘He seems happy,’ you said to the Mandalorian after you’d walked up to him. 

‘He does,” the Mandalorian replied. He crossed his arms in front of his chest. ‘[y/n]… I’m thinking of leaving him here.’

You contemplated his words in silence for a while. You realised it would mean that the Mandalorian would take off without the child, and it would break his heart. Both their hearts, actually.

‘Why?’ you asked quietly.

‘Travelling with me is no life for a kid,’ he replied. ‘It’s safe here.’

You nodded. ‘But what’s he gonna do without you?’

The Mandalorian sighed. ‘He’ll be fine.’

You were about to voice your protest when a gun shot rang through the air, violently ripping through the silence. Without missing a beat, the Mandalorian pulled out his blaster, pushing you out of the way simultaneously. A second later, you found yourself sprinting towards where the Child was playing. You threw yourself on top of him, shielding him from whatever gunshots may follow. You scrambled to your feet and ran into the first house you found. Peeking through the window, you saw the Mandalorian sprinting towards the trees. Not much longer, the Mandalorian and Cara returned. You picked the Child up, pushed him close to you, and stepped out. 

‘Is he okay?’ the Mandalorian asked as soon as he reached you. You handed him the Child and nodded.

‘He’s alright, a bit shaken if anything,’ you replied.

‘Good,’ he replied, the relief obvious in his voice. He then looked up at you. ‘Are you okay?’

A small smile spread across your lips. ‘Yeah, I’m good.’

The Mandalorian nodded. ‘The bounty hunters are after him. He won’t be safe here.’

You knew he was right. It pained you that you all couldn’t stay together here. It was quiet and, until very recently, safe. And not only that, you’d also felt at home in the village. After you own people had expelled you from their community and were now actively trying to kill you, your life had been hell. But here everything had seemed good again. Thanks to this new little family you’d found.

‘Can I come with you?’ The words had left your lips before you’d even realised that that’s what you wanted. But yes, it was what you wanted. Your skills would come in handy, seeing as the Mandalorian seemed to be a magnet for trouble.

The Mandalorian stayed silent for a second, pondering your question. ‘You can.’

A big smile broke out on your face. ‘You won’t regret this, Mando!’ 

He shot you a look. ‘That remains to be seen.’


	3. Double trouble

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Reader and the Mandalorian find themselves leaving one dangerous situation, only to get into another one straight away. Only this time it's people from the reader's past that are after them.

**Chapter 3 – double trouble**

The next day you departed from the village. It made you sad to have to say goodbye to the villagers and to Cara, but you were also excited for the next part of your journey. You waved at everybody as the repulsorlift sled took you away, your legs dangling over the edge. The Child was sat next to you. You couldn’t tell if he was feeling sad or not, but you noticed he watched the village until it had completely disappeared from view. 

When you arrived at the Mandalorian’s ship, you helped him unload his things. Before leaving, the Mandalorian had asked you whether you had any things you needed to collect, but you’d replied that you didn’t own anything. Not anymore. This didn’t prompt any more questions from the Mandalorian, which surprised you. Surely he’d want to know more about the person he was travelling with? Then again, you didn’t know much about him either. You were fine with that, though. You had nothing left to lose anyway. 

You had a look around the ship while the Mandalorian got it ready for take-off. It wasn’t much, but it would suffice. The Child watched you curiously as you wandered about. 

‘Are you keeping an eye on me, little one?’ you asked him. 

In response, the child cooed and started to walk away. Halfway to the cockpit he turned around and cooed again. You followed him. The child waddled up to a chair next to the Mandalorian. It looked like the chair had been modified so that he could sit in it. The Child turned his head and glanced at you. You figured he wanted you to help him, so you picked him up and put him in his seat. He cooed happily and pointed at something on the controls. 

‘What is it?’ you asked. The Child pointed again, but you couldn’t tell what it was he wanted.

‘He wants this,’ the Mandalorian said, not taking his eyes off the galaxy in front of him. He was pointing at a lever with a small ball attached to it. ‘I’ve stopped trying to keep him from taking it.’

So you screwed off the top of the lever and handed the little ball to the Child. He seemed happy with it as he studied it. With the child occupied with his toy, you sat down in the chair on the Mandalorian’s other side. 

‘So where are we going?’ you asked him. 

‘I don’t know,’ he replied. ‘Somewhere safe.’

You nodded. ‘Seems easy enough. It’s a big galaxy.’

‘You’d be surprised,’ the Mandalorian replied. 

In truth, you wouldn’t be surprised. You knew the galaxy was a big but dangerous place, but somehow you didn’t want to share this with the Mandalorian. Not yet. You were worried your past would make him distrust you. First you had to make sure you’d proved trustworthy and competent enough to keep around. After all, you had betrayed the last group of people you’d belonged to and you had paid a high price for it. You could tell the Mandalorian was watching you from the corner of his eyes, you could feel his gaze on you. Maybe he was waiting for you to tell him about yourself, or what had led you to be on Sorgon all by yourself. But no, you weren’t keen to share. 

‘How about I make us some lunch?’ you asked, eager to get the Mandalorian to stop observing you. ‘Seeing as you’re flying the ship and everything.’

The Mandalorian didn’t say anything, so you assumed he was fine with it. You started rummaging through the storage areas of the ship, not finding much food of substance. The only thing you could find was a whole bunch of tinned food. You took one of the tins. It was written in a language you couldn’t read, but the picture on the front promised some kind of meat. Most of the other tins looked the same, so you figured you’d have to take your chances with this one. 

Not much later you returned to the cockpit, carrying three bowls. The food from the tin was beige and jelly-like. It didn’t look very appetizing, but you figured it was hardly the time to be criticizing the Mandalorian’s dietary choices. 

‘Here you go.’ You handed one of the bowls to the Child, who immediately dug his hands in and started slurping loudly as he ate. You offered a bowl to the Mandalorian. He took it, but put it aside. 

‘You’re not hungry?’ you asked him. 

‘I’ll eat later,’ he said. 

‘Has that got to do with your helmet?’ you asked. You had heard about the Mandalorians before, but you’d never actually met one. However, you seem to recall that they weren’t allowed to take their helmets off. 

The Mandalorian nodded, confirming your suspicions. ‘I don’t take it off in front of others.’

‘Doesn’t that bother you?’ you asked, hoping you weren’t being rude. Curiosity was taking the better of you, and you were keen to learn more about your companion and his way of living. 

He shook his head. ‘This is the way.’

Deciding you’d take his word for it, you settled yourself into your seat. You were a bit wary of the food in your bowl, but your stomach rumbled, and you knew this was the only food you were going to be able to get your hands on for a while. It was going to be a long journey, but something told you it was going to be the experience of a lifetime.

\---

A couple of hours later, the Mandalorian broke the silence that the two (well, three, really) of you had been sharing.

‘This planet looks promising,’ he said, and pointed.

You sat up in your seat and looked at the planet that had appeared in front of you. You hadn’t been paying much attention, completely lost in thought for the last hour or so. 

‘What’s on it?’ you asked, curious about your next place of possible residence. 

‘Not much, which is what’s good about it,’ your companion replied. ‘There’s one city where we’d be able to get supplies, and then some spread out villages.’ 

You nodded. ‘Let’s give it a go.’

\---

You watched the planet beneath you as the Mandalorian manoeuvred his ship onto the ground. The ground looked green with short grass covering the surface, and you had noticed some lakes filled with brown mud on your descent. The Mandalorian had parked his ship at a dock just outside the city, and he had told you he wanted to go into the city to learn more about the planet. This seemed like a sensible suggestion, so you were happy to go along with it. As you got ready to leave the ship, the Mandalorian opened his weapons cabinet and took out a blaster. Without saying a word, he handed you the blaster. You gratefully took it, happy to be able to defend yourself again. 

‘You stay here,’ the Mandalorian said to the child. The child looked up at him, but you weren’t sure if he could understand what the man was saying to him. 

‘Stay,’ the Mandalorian repeated. ‘Don’t leave.’

He then started to walk off the ship, but as soon as he’d turned his back, the child started following him. Stifling a giggle, you watched as the child waddled after the Mandalorian, barely able to keep up with his long strides. 

‘What –‘ the Mandalorian sighed as he noticed the child behind him. ‘Fine. You can come.’

You followed the Mandalorian into the city. It looked rough, with plenty of fighters armed to the teeth. Your hand was never far from your blaster as you walked, glancing left to right, scanning for potential threats. It felt as if you were being watched. Every sense in your body told you to run, it wasn’t safe here. You pulled your hood further over your head, hoping to remain anonymous. But that’s when you locked eyes with somebody you recognized. And they recognized you too, but not in a good way. It was someone you used to know from your old life. That meant trouble. 

‘We have to leave,’ you said quietly to the Mandalorian. ‘We have to go.’

The urgent tone in your voice made the Mandalorian stop in his tracks, and you noticed he moved his hand to rest on his blaster.

‘What do you mean?’ he asked.

‘There’s –‘ you started to explain, but before you could even reach the second word of your sentence, blasters started firing around you, some shots pinging off the Mandalorian’s armour. Immediately, you both pulled out your weapons, answering the enemy’s shots with your own. 

‘There!’ you called and pointed to what looked like a good place to seek cover. The Mandalorian grabbed the child off the ground.

‘Cover me!’ he called and started sprinting to the spot you’d pointed out. You turned around, firing some well-aimed shots at your enemies. They were hiding in buildings and behind walls, so they were hard to hit. You were certain they were people from your old life, and they were definitely out to get you.

When the Mandalorian had reached the cover spot – a low half wall attached to a small house – you ran after him, jumped over the wall and rested your back against it. 

‘How did they know we’re here?’ the Mandalorian asked, still firing shots towards your assailants. 

‘It’s me they’re after,’ you replied as you reached over the wall to keep shooting. You definitely recognized your enemy now, you could even remember some of their names.

‘[y/n]!’ a voice called out from the other side, and the shots ceased. ‘Come on out. We will let your friends go free if you give yourself up and face justice!’

The Mandalorian glanced at you. Your heart was racing, beating against your ribs. Maybe it was time. Maybe your luck had ran out and you were going to pay the price for your betrayal. You looked at the child, and your newfound Mandalorian friend. They didn’t deserve to be dragged into this. This was between you and your people. 

‘I’m not leaving you,’ the Mandalorian said, as if he could read your thoughts. ‘But you owe me an explanation.’

You nodded, tightened your grip around your blaster and took a deep breath, getting ready to shoot your way out of this.


	4. The Great Escape

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Reader is a badass, Mando is surrounded by strong women and he loves it. Reader finally reveals her backstory, and baby Yoda does cute things.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! Thought I'd use the time I have left before I go back to work on Thursday to slam out another chapter. I'm pretty sure it's the longest yet. If you have any suggestions for what you'd like to happen next, let me know! Also Elia is named after Amelia Earheart because she was a badass extraordinaire. 
> 
> Happy reading :)

**Chapter 4 – the great escape**

‘I’ll create a distraction,’ you said, back still pressed to the wall. Adrenaline was racing through your veins, and you were ready for action. You had thought up a plan, which would get you out in one piece. Hopefully.

‘The code word is “surprise”, ok?’ you continued. ‘When I say that, it’s go time.’

The Mandalorian glanced at you, not saying anything. You guessed that underneath his helmet, he was raising an eyebrow at you.

‘This is my mess,’ you said. ‘Let me deal with this my way.’

He finally nodded. You shot him a small smile, more for you than for him. It was an attempt to calm your nerves and build confidence. You were hoping your skills wouldn’t fail you this time. Then you slowly got up. You raised your hands in the air, pretending to give up. 

‘Ah, [y/n], I see you have finally made the sensible decision.’ The leader of the group stepped forward, a smug smile on his face. It wasn’t hard to recognize him, dressed in deep red robes that flowed after him as he walked. Once upon a time you had been his boss. But Astor had never made any secrets about his ambitions to become the commander.

‘Hello Astor,’ you said, hands still raised. You started walking towards him, cautious of every step.

‘Drop the blaster,’ Astor demanded. His cronies formed a semi-circle behind him, their weapons all aimed at you. You counted ten, excluding Astor.

‘Come on guys, there’s no need for this,’ you said pleasantly, and bent down to lay your blaster at your feet. ‘See, no problems.’

‘Tie her up,’ Astor ordered. Two men stepped forward from the group. You took a couple of deep breaths. This was it. 

‘Guys, really, it was so nice to see you again!’ you babbled as one of them grabbed your wrist. ‘A real nice surprise!’

Go time. You swiftly turned and pulled your assailant’s arm over your shoulder, his body on your back. Then you rolled forward and thus slammed the man’s head into the dusty ground. You rolled to the side, grabbed your blaster, and shot the other man that was next to you. As soon as you’d said the code word, the Mandalorian had gotten up and had started firing shots towards the men that were left. The men scattered, being caught off guard in the open was making them panic. 

‘Kill them!’ you heard Astor roar, but you wouldn’t let it distract you.

In the chaos of the battle you managed to shoot another man, but soon found yourself surrounded by three more. Without any hesitation, you threw yourself onto the first one. You grabbed his hand, the one holding his blaster, and pulled it forward. Using your elbow, you hit him in the nose. Then you pulled him in front of you, using him as a shield just as the other two fired their blasters at you. Instead of hitting you, they hit their own ally. His body hit the floor, and the men were faced with a very angry, adrenaline fuelled [y/n]. They hesitated. They’d heard about you and were now undoubtedly questioning their choices in life. Nevertheless, they raised their weapons to shoot you where you stood. You were ready to launch another attack when you heard the pounding of boots around you. A quick glance around told you that Astor had managed to summon more troops and that you were surrounded. A curse left your lips.

‘It’s over now, [y/n].’ Astor’s voice sounded from the rooftop of the house that was across from where you were. The coward had hidden away, letting his men do the fighting. 

You looked over to the Mandalorian. He had his weapon at the ready, one arm around the child. You saw his head move from one side to the other, carefully watching every movement. He looked so protective over the child. It made your heart flutter, to see someone that powerful be concerned about a child’s wellbeing. It would’ve been so much easier for him to leave, to not bother, but he was showing compassion and kindness. And that’s why you had to get them out of here.  
Your mind was racing, trying to come up with a solution. The chances of you getting shot the second you moved a muscle were increasingly getting higher and higher. But to be honest, it was above your pride to get killed by someone under Astor’s command. There had to be a solution. 

‘Drop your weapons!’ Astor barked. For a second you actually considered complying, but then something distracted the men around you. You could hear shots from behind the circle of men that had surrounded you. The men shouted, some of them fell dead to the ground, smoke and blaster shots filled the air. Taking advantage of this distraction, you raised your blaster and started taking out the other men around you. The Mandalorian did the same, and soon enough there wasn’t anybody shooting at you anymore. You ran over to your companions. 

‘What just happened?’ you asked, wondering about who your sudden saviour could be.

The Mandalorian shrugged. ‘I was hoping you knew.’

You shook your head. While you knew you had to get out of here, something in you wanted to investigate. This seemed all too lucky. With your blaster raised, you stepped into the smoke. There, amongst your fallen enemies, stood a shadow. 

‘Show yourself!’ you called. The shadow turned. They raised their hands to their hood and pulled it down, revealing their face. You couldn’t believe it.

‘Elia?’ you called. ‘I thought you were –‘ 

‘Dead?’ Elia laughed. ‘I thought the same about you!’ 

She smiled at you. Before you’d had to run away, she had been your partner. You had gone through so much together, always fighting by each other’s sides. She was like a sister to you. On that fateful day when you’d had to flee everything you knew, you’d seen her caught up in battle. She had been wounded, but you couldn’t stop to help her. It had haunted your dreams to this very day, but to see her alive and well… 

‘What are you doing here?’ you asked. 

‘I was in the neighbourhood,’ she said with a grin. ‘Then when I heard the fighting, and realised it was you, and that you’d gotten yourself into yet another situation, I just had to come and help.’ 

Just as you were about to ask more questions, an explosion nearby almost knocked you off your feet. 

‘They’re back,’ Elia said. She raised her weapon. ‘Go, I’ll hold them back.’

‘But…’ you started to say, but you were interrupted. 

‘[y/n]!’ the Mandalorian called. ‘Let’s go!’ 

You knew it was time to get out of here. It pained you to leave Elia again but knowing that she was alive was a great relief. So you turned and ran back to the Mandalorian. He handed you the child. The child cooed, seemingly happy to be back in your arms. Despite everything, you smiled. The child was making this whole ordeal worth it, you realised. He needed to be protected, and you weren’t going to let him down. You ran after the Mandalorian, child in one arm, the other raised and holding your blaster at the ready. Fortunately you reached the ship without running into any further issues, and it wasn’t long before you found yourself away from the planet, surrounded by stars.

\---

It was about an hour after you’d escaped from the planet. The child was still in your arms, peacefully asleep. You stroked his ears as you thought about what had happened today. The Mandalorian was watching you, silent in his own contemplations. You were strong, but gentle, he realised. He knew the child was safe with you, no matter what would happen. He trusted you. Something stirred inside him, a feeling he couldn’t quite name. You felt his eyes on you, looked up, and smiled. The feeling inside him grew stronger, but he knew he had to ignore it.

‘So,’ he said, instead of giving in to whatever it was he was feeling. ‘What was that all about?’ 

You knew it was time to come clean, and to tell him about what had brought you to be by yourself on Sorgon. You sighed. 

‘Well, some people are pretty angry at me,’ you started.

‘I figured,’ the Mandalorian replied dryly. 

‘Takes one to know one,’ you said with a grin. 

The Mandalorian smiled. He knew you couldn’t see it but smiling at you felt… good. 

‘So, you’re probably wondering _why_ these people are angry at me,’ you said, knowing it was going to be a long story. You looked at the child, how peacefully he was sleeping, and continued with your story.

‘I used to be part of a large group of mercenaries. An army for hire. We would often be hired to fight other groups, usually for the interests of politicians or rich merchants. We were swift, strong and fast. And expensive. But we never killed anybody that wasn’t either fighting us or deserved to be killed. At least, I didn’t.’ You paused and glanced at the Mandalorian. He was looking at you, arms folded across his chest, listening intently. 

‘Until one day, we were hired by a merchant to take out a rival merchant family. Nothing out of the ordinary. That day, I was paired with a new recruit called Zetar. He was one of the best, but ruthless. After we’d taken out the other merchant’s fighters, we went into the house to find the merchant and check for others. While we were looking around, we heard a sound in one of the storage rooms. Zetar pulled open the door… And we found a mother with a young child. A girl.’ You paused again, remembering the looks of terror on their faces. How the mother had tried to protect her daughter by hiding her behind her back. Completely defenceless. This was the hardest part of the story. 

‘And… We had orders to take out anybody we saw… So Zetar raised his blaster, aimed it at the mother.’ You sighed and looked at the child in your arms. ‘But I couldn’t let him do it. So I shot him, I killed him. I pulled the mother and child out of the storage area, told them to follow me. We ran through the house, sneaking out, hoping nobody would see us. Somehow, we managed to get to the ships without being noticed. I stole one of the ships, took the mother and child to a safe location. I dropped them off, gave them my weapons, and told them to run. I wished I could’ve stayed with them, but I was sure that the others knew by now that something was amiss. So I got back in the ship, fled the planet, but was soon found by the other mercenaries. They shot me down, I crash landed on Sorgon, and somehow… survived.’

You sighed, your eyes still focussed on the child in your arms. You didn’t dare look up, worried what the Mandalorian would think of you for betraying your own people like that. Not only were you a traitor, you were also dangerous to be around, as your run-in of today had proved. 

‘You did the right thing,’ the Mandalorian said, after a minute of silence. 

That wasn’t the response you had expected. 

‘I know.’ You raised your head to meet his gaze. ‘I know I made the right decision, but it cost me… everything. My home, my friends, everything I knew. And it’s left me in this very complicated position.’

‘That makes two of us, then,’ the Mandalorian replied. He uncrossed his arms and sat up straight. He flicked some switches, pushed some buttons, and after a moment of consideration, said: ‘you’re welcome to stay with us as long as you’d like.’

And nothing could’ve made you happier.


End file.
